Monday, March 26, 2007

Calling All Anal-Retentives…



Judging by yesterday’s post and some of its comments, I am NOT the only uptight list maker hanging around this blog.

Me? I like being organized, and I also like color-coding. This leads to me making endless lists on… wait for it … Post-It Notes.

Love them. Have them everywhere. In the car for when story ideas hit. On top of the fridge for when I run out of a foodstuff. In the bathroom for when I run out of toiletries. On storyboards for plotting out books: pink for the romance storyline, blue for the first subplot, and yellow for the second.

The beauty of sticky notes is that you write yourself the little note, stick it somewhere to remind yourself (the bathroom mirror works great), then throw it away when you’ve done the thing you needed the reminder about. My new favorite thing is to stick one on the door to the garage—“don’t forget snack!!!”—so that we remember to take things with us when we leave. I’m now training the kids to do their own sticky-note reminders so that my OCD tendencies won’t skip a generation.

Oh, and does anyone else use the grocery lists that come with Microsoft Word? Love those. I use them for a more formal list, when all the items I need at the store won’t fit on a sticky note.

And what about Memo to Me? Is that a brilliant organizational tool, or what?

And don’t get me started on all my colored highlighters, which I use for outlining books on writing craft.

It’s a sickness, I know.

So what about you? What are a few of your favorite organizational tools?

5 comments:

Eve Silver said...

OMG! Ann!! You blow me away in the organizational department. I have a calendar hanging on the kitchen wall so i don't forget thing that are due on certain dates, but no post-its. No color coding. First sub-plot? Second sub-plot? Outlining books? Holy flying fish! I don't plot! I just sit down at the computer, hunt-and-peck, and hope that a book comes out somewhere along the way.

The Cosmic Kid said...

I use the Mac stickies ALL the time. I've got about 15 of them going at once. Sometimes the only kind of paper I have to write on is post-its, so I've got all kinds of things written on them!

Lois said...

I have lots of folders. 3 ring binders, report folders, see through covers with the slide on thingy that keeps them together, see through pages for those binders. . . . I really love binders. LOL :)

Oh, and then I'll put the colored post it tab thingies in the binders with multiple types of stuff to separate them, or use the dividers with the slide in write on white tab thingies (I'm at a loss with what to call some of this stuff). . .

Ah, did I mention I like folders? :)

Lois

Ann Christopher said...

You don't plot, Eve??!! *SCREECH!* Don't tell me things like that unless you make sure I'm sitting down first, okay?

Cosmic Kid, I can see that you're exceptionally bright. ;)

Lois, I, too, love the binders with their color-coded tabs.

*SIGH*

I'm thinking I need to make a trip to Staples...

Ann

Lois said...

I developed this little devotion to folders when I went to my college bookstore in my last college. . . loved thick binders, thin binders, oh, loved the 8 pocket folder too. . .

and I kept trying to find a pen I was totally happy with. I did find a pencil I just fell in love with and got a couple. :)

Lois, who still also to find a green pen she's happy with as well.

So I'll avoid you when you go to Staples. LOL :) Can't watch. Nope. :)